


A Family at War

by DenverEleven



Category: Enlisted (TV)
Genre: Brotherhood, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Gen, Military, Soldiers, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-16
Updated: 2014-02-23
Packaged: 2018-01-12 16:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1191123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DenverEleven/pseuds/DenverEleven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Hill brothers are all in Afghanistan heading out on a mission that will change the rest of their lives. (Finished)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I really know nothing about the military so ignore the mistakes please. I mean no disrespect. This is more about the brothers and their relationship.
> 
> Background: Pete, Derrick, and Randy are all in Afghanistan at the same base.

Pete’s alarm blared into he left ear as his face was smashed into his pillow. He slapped at the 5:30 am alarm and twisted himself around in his sheets. The morning had come earlier for Pete than many others on the base. The hot air still filtered through the walls of the base, regardless of the sun’s absence. 

Pete was recently promoted to Corporal and was given the responsibility to monitor missions from the control room. His younger brothers were early ranking privates and had recently come to join him in Afghanistan from the Rear-D unit in Florida. Derrick had stepped up his game and was an efficient and dedicated soldier. He was still jaded, but when Randy was called for duty in Afghanistan, Derrick was sure that he would not be going alone. Randy’s skills had improved and his pride in the military had finally matched his training in the field.

It’s normally unusual for three brothers to be together in the same military base oversees, but Pete was adamant that if his brothers were to be active in Afghanistan, that he would be able to look after them in his own unit. 

The brothers were all very different from one another, but their bonds ran deep. Pete, as the oldest always carried the burden of watching out for his younger brothers. It proved much more difficult when they were soldiers enlisted in the United States Army.  
\------------

While Pete was working with his staff sergeant in the command center, Derrick was waking on his own a few buildings down. The light was starting to filter in the barracks and while some men were rising and getting ready for the day, Randy, the youngest, was dead to the world. Derrick smiled to himself as he threw on his basketball shorts and tennis shoes. He was going to get in an early workout with his buddy Sam before breakfast.

“Ready to get your ass handed to you Hill?” Sam laughed, as he slapped Derrick on the back of the head. “Dream on Henderson, you know I’ll out lift you any day. But I will bet you, that we will both be back before Randy’s ass is out of bed.”

\------------

In fact, an hour later, they were back before Randy was out of bed. Randy was awake, but lacked motivation to pull himself from his bunk.  
“Really, Randy? I got a full workout in, and I’m sure Pete’s already saved the world, and you haven’t made it out of bed yet.” Derrick murmured as he plopped down across from Randy to change back into his uniform. “I’ll meet up with you two at chow” Sam threw back over his soldier as he left the two brothers alone.

Randy was slowly drawing himself from the bed as his hand drug across his tired face. Derrick watched him out of the corner of his eye as he tied his laces. Randy was different. The once enthusiastic and hyper little brother was quieter and slower. He was still Randy, but Derrick had wondered if it was the heaviness of war or just the physical exhaustion that was slowing Randy down. “Gahh,” Randy yawned, “I’m starving. Give me a second and we can go head over to grab some food with Pete.”  
“Alright. I’ll meet you out front in five.” Derrick spoke as he rose from the bed.

\---------------  
Pete was on his 2nd cup of coffee by the time he glanced up from his computer at the clock on the wall. “Shit, I’m late for breakfast.” He always made sure he made time in the morning to see his brothers. Days were long and busy and Pete didn’t always get to spend much time with them since becoming Corporal. He got up from the table and made his way to the mess hall. 

His brothers were sitting in the middle of the room and Pete made his way to them slamming his hands on the table, “Hey losers.”

“Oh look, its Corporal Dickhead,” Derrick mused as he shoveled dry eggs into his mouth while Pete sat down next to them. 

“Pete! Hey, come sit over here, I want to show you this video I saw this morning. It’s this voice over of a dog eating bacon. It’s hilarious.” Randy said. He was waking up and his attitude had brightened. A smile crept onto Pete’s face. He couldn’t deny Randy and his stupid videos. Seeing him happy over here in Afghanistan wasn’t as easy as it had been in Florida, but Pete still had faith that his little brother spirit wouldn’t be crushed in this sandbag hell.

As Pete and Randy watched the video from Randy’s phone, Derrick asked Sam, who also sat at the table, “Hey, what was Sargent Williams talking to you about this morning?”  
“He said that we were all going to be meeting at 14 hundred to talk about the next mission.” Sam said as he placed his fork down, stretching out, regretting waking up early to work out.

“Ya, that reminds me,” Pete cut in as he looked up from Randy’s phone, “Apparently, these next few days are going to be pretty intense, so be sure you boys have your training’s passed before tomorrow. They are working on something big, so just get ready.” Pete knew that every day was dangerous as a soldier, but when his brother’s went out on missions he always had a sick feeling in his stomach until they returned.

“It’s about time, I’m dying to get off this base and get some action.” Randy mumbles as he fiddles with his phone. Derrick stands up from the table with his tray in his hand, “Well, you just may get your wish Randy.”

\---------------  
Most of the soldiers on the base had gathered in the comm center for a meeting with their Sargent Major and several other staff sergeants. The room was full and the buzz of testosterone and curiosity was heavy.

The Sargent Major, a tall middle aged man stepped to the front of the room. His presence reeked of power and discipline. His words were strong and clear, “We’ve been given some Intel recently, and we’re going to be pretty active the next few days. Jazhir Musafes,” Major Sanford says as he points to the projection screen, “is a new and very active member of the Taliban and is responsible for the deaths of 32 civilians on Monday.” He continues, “He is gathering forces for something big, and we need to find out what it is.”  
Pete had heard earlier that several groups were going to be sent out on recon, and he knew that this would be one of the first real challenges for Derrick or Randy if their teams were chosen for the mission.

Major Sanford grabbed his clipboard, “We are going to send out 3 teams to the North, West, and South of Kabul. You will gather information about activity in that area and report back for further data. Your staff sergeant’s will brief you about the specifics tonight and you will leave out tomorrow at 11 hundred.”

Derrick was sitting next to Randy, and was secretly hoping that Randy’s team wasn’t going to get called out for these missions. Derrick knew that each one of these held potential danger. They were going to be out on foot gathering Intel on the Taliban. He knew Pete would be working from the comm center, so Pete was safe on this one. Honestly, Derrick wanted to be on this mission. He found that since he’s been in Afghanistan, the adrenaline of his few missions, were leaving him wanting more. And this was big. It would be the most important mission this base has done since Randy and Derrick arrived.

Major Sanford’s worn hands gripped the clipboard with the names of each team that would leave out tomorrow afternoon. Pete was wishing neither Derrick nor Randy were called. Derrick was wishing that he was called and Randy wasn’t, and Randy wasn’t worried about either brother. He knew they could take care of themselves. Randy knew by the looks and glances that Pete and Derrick were shooting each other, that they didn’t want him on those teams. 

Randy wanted to hear his name. He wanted to prove to them that he was adept. Sure, he hasn’t had the easiest time adjusting, but all Randy wanted was to prove to his brother’s that he was in fact a soldier. He wasn’t little Randy that ate pennies anymore, he was Private Randy Hill, a solider in the United States Army. He hoped this mission would give him the opportunity to show his brothers that.

Pete sat calmly near the front of the room, hands folded, looking out at the soldiers in the room. All wanted to hear their names. While he trusted his brothers, he was still having a hard time grasping the fact that his brothers were in Afghanistan fighting in a war. He couldn’t do much to stop them from being in harm’s way.  
“Sargent Passe your team will take the North, Sargent Williams, you will take the West, and Sargent Pavelski will take the South.”

Pete released a breath. Derrick was with Sargent Williams’ team. At least it was Derrick. Derrick would be ok, and the West was probably the least active location of the three. He looked out to his brothers and he could see Randy’s disappointed face and the ghost of a smile forming on Derrick’s.

Major Sanford’s voice cut through the murmur of the group, “Privates’ Walker, Moore, Jones, and R.Hill will go out at zero seven hundred to document the IED explosion and bring back any other information. You all are dismissed. Meet up with your staff sergeant’s for more information and I’ll see you in the morning.”

Pete got up and walked over to his brothers as people were leaving the room. “Well, Derrick,” he said slapping Derrick on the back with a smile, “you ready big guy?” 

“Oh, I am more than ready. Williams is great, so I’m not too worried. Now, I am worried about that asshole over there slowing us down.” Derrick laughs as he gestures over to Sam who is flipping him off from across the room.

Pete turns his focus to the younger Hill brother. He could tell that Randy was disappointed. Randy was called out for the earlier mission, but it was a simple gather and dismiss and there was little to no excitement in an order like that. “You alright Randy?” he asks tentatively, placing his hand on his downtrodden sibling.

“Yea, I guess.” Randy answers, disappointment evident.

Derrick and Pete look on, “Randy, hey, I’m sure there will be plenty more action soon. I’m the one who’s going to be eating protein bars and shitting in the woods.” Derrick says as he tries to console him with humor.

It works as a smile breaks on Randy’s face, “Yea, and after the eggs we ate this morning, I’ll be glad I’m not out in the middle of the woods with you.”

All of the brothers laugh as Derrick swipes at Randy’s head.


	2. Miscommunication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Randy heads out on his mission, but things don't go as planned.

This time it was Randy who rose early to prepare for his less than exciting mission. As drug himself out of bed and got dressed, he returned back to his bunk to put on his boots. 

“Hey,” a hushed whisper cut through the silence. It was Derrick with one eye open sleepily. “Are you leaving now?”

“No, go back to sleep. We don’t leave for a few more hours,” Randy whispered to his middle brother.

“Ok. I’ll be up by then. Be sure you find me before you go.” Derrick continued to whisper, this time with his eyes shut, blindly patting Randy on the leg as he stood.

As Randy exited the dorms, he saw Pete leaving his room and heading for the communication building. “Hey buddy, early morning huh?” Pete said with a smile, walking over to his youngest sibling.

“Yea we have a team meeting in a few with Major Sanford. We leave at zero seven hundred.” Randy said stretching the last of the sleep from his limbs.

“I’m your communication commander on this one, so I’ll catch ya before you go.” Pete smiled and they both dismissed themselves to their early morning tasks.  
\-----------  
Randy’s team discussed the details of the mission: go to IED site and gather photographs and video, confirming any leftover information from the attack. It was simple and short. They were to check in when they arrived and when they were leaving. They had 1 hour windows to check in with Pete via radio to confirm their status.

Randy sat and listened to the words being said but his mind wondered elsewhere. Derrick was going on an active vital mission today, and while he was a tad bit jealous, Randy still had worry creeping into his conscience. He knew Derrick could take care of himself, but Randy couldn’t help but let horrifying scenarios run through his mind. He was abruptly pulled from his thoughts when Major Sanford handed him the comm device used to upload video directly back to base. Randy was actually looking forward to using this considering he spent so much time in training trying to figure out how it worked. If the mission was going to be boring, at least he got some cool technology to work with.

They continued to brief the mission details, and appointed Private First Class Nathan Fox as team leader on the mission. There was no Sargent leading his team on this task so Nathan was in charge. Randy didn’t know him very well, but Nathan seemed about as thrilled as Randy was that they were indeed a part of this duty.

Pete was in the room listening for his own information as he spoke up, “Private Fox, you will report to me at base in one hour or when arriving and departing whichever comes first. I will be your comm man. You will upload the information directly to us. We will confirm you mission before completion.”

Nathan stood, shook Sargent Major’s hand and Pete’s hand before alerting the small 4 man team that they would be meeting at the Humvee in 5 minutes. As Randy stood, he could see Pete walking over to him, “Alright bud, I’ll see ya when you get back. I’ll be by the comm all day, so just let us know if you have any problems.” As Pete was talking, Randy could see a hint of concern in Pete’s eyes. He knew it had to be hard for the oldest brother to take a step back from the field and watch his younger brothers leave the safety of the base out into the unforgiving Afghanistan landscape.

“Sounds good Pete. Have you seen Derrick? I wanted to see him before I left.” Randy asked as he looked around for his middle brother.

Pete understanding the tension squeezed his shoulder, “No, you can go look for him real fast, but you’ll be back before he leaves, don’t worry.” Randy nodded and Pete smiled and continued, “Alright, good luck brother. I’ll be talking to you soon.” 

The two had a brief hug and Randy exited to look for Derrick. He quickly ran over to their dorm and checked for Derrick, but he wasn’t there. 

“Hill, we are leaving now. Get your ass over here.” Fox shouted from their Humvee. 

Randy reluctantly ended his search for Derrick and ran over to his team. He knew Pete was right. He’d be back before Derrick left. Randy lofted himself into the back seat of the Humvee with Privates Fox, Walker and Jones. He didn’t know any of them very well, but Private Fox was a pretty nice guy from what he remembered in training.

The trip was quiet. The other soldiers seemed a bit bitter about the assignment as well, but Randy had to admit, leaving the walls of the base was a little freeing. He watched silently out the window as they passed through rugged terrain and seemingly deserted roads. 

Private Jones spoke up, “So Fox, whose Wheaties did we piss in? I mean how did we get involved in a weak ass mission like this? I mean Walker and Hill are here because they have the shittiest test scores at the base, but us, I just don’t get it.”

Randy stayed quiet, still staring out the window. Jones’s words were offensive, but not necessarily untrue. Caleb Walker was a really quiet kid who didn’t speak much and had a notoriously hard time passing exams and range tests. Randy didn’t feel like interjecting, but Fox spoke up instead.

“Private Jones, we are all here to complete our task. It doesn’t matter why we were chosen. We were.”

Randy peeked out of the corner of his eye to check on Jones’s reaction, but Jones just rolled his eyes and continued peer out the front window. 

The road was starting to get rough, and Jones was now helping Fox navigate as they were nearing the destination. Randy glanced over at Walker and he was fiddling with the hem of his shirt. By the sweat pouring down his face, Randy could tell that he was nervous and distracted. Maybe it was the 95 degree temperature, but Randy could sense his unease.  
The Humvee came to a stop slowly crunching against dirt and rocks below. Private Fox grabbed the radio that was sitting between he and Jones, “Alpha Team Red reporting. We have reached our destination.”

Pete’s voice cracked over the radio. “Confirmed. Upload the information and report back before leaving the destination.”

“Confirmed. Over and out.” Everyone exited the Humvee to observe the scene. 32 Afghanistan citizens were supposedly killed here in an explosion between 3 vehicles. It became apparent very quickly that there was only one abandoned and torched vehicle on site. The vehicle seemed to have been there for a long period of time because there were small plants growing around the side of the flattened tires.

“Well," Jones seethed out sarcastically, "really good intel on this one.” 

“Shit. Hill, take the video and upload it back to base. This obviously isn’t the correct location,” Fox grunted as he reached back into the truck for the radio.

Pete was fairly busy at the comm center with preparation of 3 Alpha teams about to leave on mission. After reporting with Randy’s team, a call had come in from Washington D.C. requesting to speak with Sargent Major Sanford. Pete quickly scooted his chair back and motioned over Sargent Williams who was flipping through the mission files. “Hey, Williams can you watch these phones for a second. I need to go get Sargent Major.” Williams nodded and headed over to the desk.

Pete quickly walked out of the room and informed Major Sanford of the phone call. As Pete was about to go back, Derrick appeared and grabbed Pete by the arm.

“Did Randy leave already?” Derrick asked confused.

“Yea, I think he tried to look for you, but they just got there. I’m sure he’ll be back before you go out.”

“Alright, yea.”

“I gotta get back Derrick, I’ll see you in a few before you head out.” Derrick nodded and Pete went back to his desk at the comm center. Sargent Major was still on one of the phones. “Anyone call in?” Pete whispered in a hushed tone as he switched spots with Williams.

“Alpha Team Red called in. The sent in their videos, but they were at the wrong location. They’ll be heading back soon.” Williams said over his shoulder as he walked away. Pete, settled into his chair, and pulled up the videos Randy’s team had sent, anticipating seeing them back soon.

What Williams failed to mention to Pete was that he had suggested that Alpha Team Red and Private Fox had misguided intel, and to check the area before heading back to base.  
\----------------------  
Instead of staying on path with the map, Randy’s team got back in the Humvee and headed out to see if the real site was nearby. 

“How hard is it to find 3 burned vehicles?” Jones snorted as he fiddled with the GPS.

The terrain was rocky and high mountains and rock faces loomed overhead. The Humvee moved slowly in unfamiliar territory as all members looked out for any sign of their original intended mission.

“Hey, right there. Turn in over there,” Jones shouted as he pointed to an alcove near an opening in the mountain. In the few seconds it took to pull up to the site, the scene was eerie and stagnant. Their Humvee rolled to a stop, encroaching on a landscape of charred vans and scattered pieces of flesh.

They all stepped out of the truck, to observe the horrifying sight. It was clear that most of the bodies had been removed, but bits of body parts still littered the ground. The huge carrier vans were blown to pieces and burned until black.

Randy was not prepared mentally for the sight at hand. He hadn’t really thought about the impact of what they were going to be documenting. He was too caught up in the thought of Derrick going out on a mission without him. 32 people died. He should have known that the scene was going to be marred with the aftermath.

Randy grabbed the comm device from the truck and brought it over to the first vehicle, “Fox, should I start over here?” Randy asked hesitantly, as he avoided stepping on the flesh pieces clumped into the dirt.

“Yea, start east and be sure to get all evidence on the ground as well, “ Fox addressed Randy, before turning to Jones, “Jones, you and Walker secure the perimeter and then take the camera and document from the edge inward.”

Jones and Walker grabbed their rifles and set off to the far edge of the site. Private Fox, walked back over to the truck and reached in to report back to the base. As he leaned in through the window, he heard the dreaded CLICK CLICK.

Randy was squatting down fidgeting with his comm device when he heard the sound. It was a sound no soldier wanted to hear. Before he could glance up, there was a deafening blast. Hot air slammed into Randy’s face, knocking him from his feet. The burned vehicle rattled in front of him, but all Randy could see was smoke and pieces of debris spraying down from the sky. Randy tried to sit up, but it felt like a heavy weight was on top of him as the sound of silence was replaced with a piercing ring that did not relent.

Randy was unsure how long had passed before he blinked open his eyes, and turned himself over onto his stomach, checking to make sure everything was in tact. He pulled himself upright as the sound of ringing still resonated in his ears. The smoke was still thickening the air, but Randy stumbled to the sight of his team leader sitting with his back against the Humvee, staring in shock in front of him.

“Fox, Fox!” Randy shouted as he hurried to face his team leader. 

“They’re dead.” Fox’s lips trembled as his eyes stared straight ahead blank yet full of anguish.

“What?” Randy quipped questioningly as he turned to look where Fox was staring. The smoke had lightened up, but the scene staring back at him was deplorable. Where Jones and Walker once stood was a gaping hole in the earth. Glaring back at Randy’s stunned face was a helmet, not empty, but full of blood that continued to saturate the seemingly cursed plot of land.

Randy slowly turned to face Fox, when the ringing in his ears was replaced with the familiar rat tat tat of gunfire.

\-----------------

The buzz in the comm room had picked up due to all of the teams meeting to discuss their plans with the Sargent. Pete sat at his desk, and tapped his fingers loudly while he glanced at the clock for the hundredth time. They missed their hour check-in. They were on their way back, 89 minutes ago. He had tried to contact them at the first missed hour, but there was no response. He reported the miss to his superiors but they seemed unconcerned.

“Pete, where’s Randy?” Derrick’s voice jolted Pete from his trance.

Pete looked up at Derrick’s confused and concerned face, unsure how to answer. “They aren’t back yet,” he forced out trying to sound calm.

“Well, are they supposed to be? I thought you said he’d be back before I left? I’m about to leave, Pete. Is there something wrong? Is everything ok?" Derrick was shooting out questions like rapid fire as his voice was increasing in volume.

Pete drew in a deep breath trying to speak as calmly as he could, “Derrick. Everything should be fine. They may have just taken a wrong turn or something on the way back.” He was trying not to look at Derrick’s face as he answered. Derrick would know if he was lying.

It seemed to have worked because Derrick seemed to accept the answer from Pete. “Ok,” Derrick sighed, “You’d tell me if there was a problem right?”

“Yea of course. Don’t worry. You gotta get your head in the game Derrick. You are going to be leaving soon.” Pete said rising from his chair. It concerned him seeing Derrick like this. Derrick was usually the sarcastic one. He didn’t worry, outwardly at least. Derrick had grown so much since coming to Afghanistan, and his bond with his brothers matured into something deeper. Pete was the one who was supposed to worry, and worrying he was. He was worried about Randy and his men, and he was worried that his other brother was about to leave and head into a worse situation. He was worried that the two people that mean the most to him were going to leave and not come back.

“Well, just keep me updated Pete. I want to know when he gets back.”

“I will Derrick.” Pete’s eyes met Derrick’s this time. Derrick slowly broke the gaze and walked away leaving Pete to sit back down and stare at the phone, waiting for it to ring.

"Please God. Let him be alright."


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conclusion.

The sound of gunfire shattered through the smoke and the world around Randy exploded. He didn’t have time to process that his two other soldiers were blown to pieces in front on him, and his team leader was bloody and shaken at his feet.

He grabbed Fox by the arm and pulled him to his feet as they ran from the gunfire. Where were they going? Did Fox have the radio? The thoughts barely had time to register through his head as they stumbled across the terrain looking for some sort of cover.

Fox was faltering behind him, pushing forward with a fist in the back of Randy’s uniform. Randy and Fox were trying to navigate down the side of the rocky hill as the gunshots roared louder behind them.

As Randy’s heart thudded in his ears and adrenaline coursed through his body, he was able to realize that they were going downhill. The enemy was above them, and he and Fox had no idea where they were going. Randy surged on and heard Fox shooting his rifle behind him. 

Randy spared a look behind him to see 10 or so men standing near the top of the rocky hill bearing their weapons down at them. Before he could completely turn, Randy felt a bullet wiz past his head and splatter the ground in front of him. 

The rain of fire had increased and the sound was deafening. Randy spied a jut in the terrain about 100 feet down the hill, and prayed silently that they could make it there unharmed. But before he could take another step he heard a wet thud followed by another, and Randy felt himself being pulled to the rocky ground.

Randy’s head slammed onto the ground and he felt his hands being crushed beneath the weight of his own body and the weight of Fox above him. He knew they needed to get up quick or they were going to be slaughtered lying on their stomachs. Randy used all of his young strength to pull himself from the ground yanking at an unsteady Fox as they neared their temporary salvation.

Another round of bullets sprayed the earth around them and Randy heard another thud, but this time he felt fire sear into his left shoulder as he screamed out. “Move Randy!” Fox shouted above the crackling bullets that bounced off of dirt and rock.

The two soldiers had closed the gap between death and safety, and Randy spun back around and hauled Fox over his body behind the jut in the hill. Randy took a deep breath as he temporarily checked his surroundings. 

Randy overlooked the burning pain in his shoulder, and readied his gun while turning to his comrade to inspect for injury. It took only seconds to gather that Fox has been shot several times near the chest as sweat dripped from his brow and his breath ragged and wheezy strained from his mouth.

“How bad is it?” Randy shouted, hands quickly tracing the wounds, and reaching inside his uniform to inspect the damage. It looked like some of the bullets were logged into his vest, but by the amount of blood covering the once tan uniform; he could see that some had indeed hit the intended target.

“Ran-dy,” Fox breathed out harshly, “You have to get help. We can’t..hold them off..alone.” Randy turned quickly with panic as he realized that he had the video technology with him seconds ago, but it was no longer in his hand. 

“Shit...” Fox wheezed as he leaned his head back against the earth defeated, realizing that they had no radio or technology to report back with.

A new wave of gunfire came down again, and Randy popped up with his rifle to try his best to assess the situation at hand. Both soldiers shot up the hill at the bleak images of what was most certainly the Taliban looming above.

As Randy tried to pick off the human shapes, his mind was whirling. Who knew where they were? How far away was help? Were the Taliban soldiers calling for back up? As if on cue, one of the figures at the top of the hill advanced, and he heard a pained grunt to his left, as Fox launched a grenade upward.

The explosion blew apart sections of the hill about half the distance from the two warring parties. It was clear that the grenade wasn’t going to reach their enemy, but it was a warning used to show that these American soldiers were armed, and they now, held the advantage, even if only for a few minutes.

Randy and Fox spared a glance at each other. Randy could see the masked fear behind Fox’s pale and pained face. Randy closed his eyes in hopes that his mind could focus long enough to come up with a plan.

“No one knows where we are. I didn’t get a chance to radio back before we were attacked,” Fox spoke in a beaten voice. “Randy,” he said seriously, drawing his shaking and bloody hand over his face, “If we don’t contact the base, we are going to die out here.”

“Wait.. I.. had the,” Randy stammered as he looked around for the video technology, “We could use the video comm to send a message back to base giving our location.”  
As Randy spoke, he stole a glance up hill and spotted his video comm laying on the ground about 50 yards up the hill. It had fallen from his hands when Fox had crashed into him as they fell.

As he was turning back to his comrade, he heard a wet, bubbly cough reach his ears. He found that blood was dripping from Fox’s lips, as he struggled to breathe. Randy scooted over to him, grabbing him by the shoulders and looking at him seriously, “Private Nathan Fox,” he paused, “we are going to get out of here. The comm device is only a few yards away, I can grab it and we can send a message to Pete. He will get us out of this. We will make it out of here, I promise you.”

Randy could see that his team leader wanted to protest, but like Randy, he knew they didn’t have many more options. “Yea. OK. I’ll cover you,” he continued grabbing out at Randy’s good arm, “Be careful. This may be our only chance.”

Randy poked his head around the corner again to check on the situation above. The figures were still looming at the top of the hill, but they weren’t advancing.

“I’m going to throw the grenade to make a distraction, run Randy, I’ll cover you.” Fox spoke as he struggled to adjust his weapon. His eyes bore holes into Randy, and Randy couldn’t help but think how young Fox really was, and how close they both were to death. His mind wandered to his brothers, and he couldn’t stand the thought of them suffering over another dead family soldier. 

Fox nodded at him, and launched the grenade with all of his remaining strength. As dust and rock scattered in the air, and Fox’s gunfire exploded from his rifle, Randy stepped from beside the rock, and ran with all of his might up the hill towards their only chance at freedom.  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Derrick’s team had left the base a few minutes earlier. Pete had given Derrick an extra radio, and assigned Derrick the task as the team communication manager.   
Derrick sat with his team inside of the tank, as the proceeded on to their mission. Yet, Derrick’s mind was elsewhere. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was really wrong with Randy’s mission. He stared into space as his hands were wringing unconsciously near his knees. Tension was practically rolling off of him.

“Hill,” the voice of Sargent Williams broke the silence, “What’s wrong with you?” 

Williams face was looking nonchalantly back at Derrick, as Derrick woke from his thoughts. “It’s Randy’s team. They should have been back by now, their mission was complete. They missed two call ins.” Derrick trailed off, he pulled his eyes from Williams’ face and retreated back to blank staring.

“Fox’s team?”

“Yea.”

“Oh, I talked to them.”

Derrick’s head snapped up, “What?” His eyes were searching Williams for more information, but Williams looked just as calm as before.

“Pete was out grabbing Major Sanford,” he continued, “They called in, and they had gone to the wrong location. I told them to keep checking around to see if they could find anything. They are probably still out looking for the site.”

Derrick’s blood was boiling. His hands started to shake. He didn’t know if he wanted to scream at Williams or radio Pete, so he did both.

“Are you kidding me?! That’s not what you told Pete!” Derrick practically screamed.

Immediately annoyed at Derrick’s reaction Williams ground out, “I am your commanding  
officer. I have the authority to make those calls. I suggest you calm down, Private Hill.”

Derrick was no longer concerned with arguing with Williams, he grabbed the radio Pete had given him, and dialed the numbers to the base as quick as he could.  
Pete answered, but his voice was quick and tight.

“Pete, listen, Williams answered when Randy’s team called,” Derrick was speaking as quick as he could, “He told them to continue the search. They weren’t on their way back!” 

“Put Williams on the radio NOW.”

This time, the voice wasn’t Pete’s. It was Major Sanford’s booming and seemingly aggravated voice.

The smug look on Williams’ face was quickly replaced with the look a child has when they are about to be scolded.

Derrick’s mind was racing. He heard Williams retelling Major Sanford the version of the interaction, and Derrick could barely keep it together. His fears before that something was wrong, was almost certainly confirmed. Now, his brother and his team were out in enemy territory somewhere with no radio contact in the last 2 hours.

The next thing Derrick knew, coordinates were being shouted out to the driver and their mission had changed from gathering intel, to team member recovery.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Randy charged up the hill blindly stumbling up rocks in search of their only saving grace. Bullets whizzed past him, but most weren’t necessarily directed at him. The smoke was still providing some cover for him as he ran.

Randy spied the device a few feet ahead and pushed on as he heard gunfire coming from both behind and in front of him. He grabbed the device with one hand, while quickly trying to pivot back in the direction he came from. With the device in hand, he had only made it a few feet when a stray bullet ripped through the back of his thigh, crumbling him to the rocky surface beneath him.

Randy hit the ground and he heard Fox calling his name over the roar of gunfire. Grunting and moaning, he pulled himself from the ground, as the gunfire increased. The Taliban’s forces had doubled and more bullets were starting to spray around Randy’s hobbling form.

An explosion dealt by Fox rocked the ground once more giving Randy just enough time to stumble behind a boulder about 30 yards out from the makeshift bunker Fox and he had held.

Randy’s unsteady hand quickly turned on the video device, praying that it still worked and that God had granted this small piece of hell on earth a live signal.  
The device hummed to life, and while it wasn’t able to connect to Pete live, he was able to record a message, and send it back to the base, in hopes of communication.  
Bullet roared around the boulder, but Randy was safe enough to quickly tell Pete and base their general location and their grim state of affairs.

Randy was shouting into the device, and was trying to finish relaying the situation when the signal started to fade. Frantic, Randy reached out, only a few inches to his left, still speaking into the device, when several bullets pierced his side, stealing the breath from his lips. 

“Shiiittt!” Randy screamed with primal rage as the pain seared through his body. Knowing that time was slipping away, he quickly ended the message, and sent it off to base, watching the green light signify that the message had reached its intended target.

Randy slumped down behind the rock, losing all energy previously stored. Blood was pouring from his back, chest, and leg, and fought to stay conscious against the pain.  
He hoped that at least, the base would be able to find their location. Blackness was dancing in front of his eyes, but he fought the darkness as best he could, knowing that his brothers would do everything they could to save them.

+++++++++++++++++

 

Pete was pacing around the command center. He was absolutely furious with Williams, and the scenario kept running through his mind. He was beating himself up for not calling to check earlier, for trusting Williams with soldier lives.

Randy’s team had been out for almost 4 hours, and while it was still early in the day, Pete felt like days had passed since he last saw his youngest brother. Several of the teams who had been sent out previously in the day were now called in for search and rescue.

A faint beeping sound brought Pete’s attention back to reality as his heart leaped in his chest. The room was abuzz with sergeants and officers anticipating the information held behind that faint sound.

Pete rushed to the desk to click on the video that had been sent from Private Fox’s seemingly doomed team. The whole video was projected onto a large screen in the room.  
Pete’s chest clenched painfully as Randy’s face filled the screen. The room was silent and every man in the room looked on as the mystery of the missing team was confirmed.  
Pete watched his little brother’s pale and frantic face repeat the information, and Pete tried to get his shaking hands to type what Randy was screaming into the comm device, but it was hard to tear his eyes away from his youngest brother who looked so determined and terrified.

When the bullets slammed into Randy and his scream of pain and frustration filled the small space, Pete hands froze on the computer. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move.  
Randy’s communication abruptly ended, and a moment of stillness among all men, was quickly disrupted by orders being shouted and people moving quickly.

But Pete did not move.

Pete’s hands ghosted over the laptop at his desk, still frozen. His heart was both racing and still at the same time.

Major Sanford’s hand gripped hard at Pete’s back.

“Pete, we’ve got two units minutes from their location. Call Williams’ team, we are contacting Pavelski right not.”

Pete was snapped back into action, as he radioed Williams, and confirmed their missing team’s location. William reported back that they could hear the firefight from their position, and were seconds upon arriving at the location.

As Pete caught Williams up on the situation, Derrick could hear the fear, anger, and bitterness that was directed at Williams. Pete gave them the location, that confirmed that the firefight they could hear in the distance, was indeed the horrific scene barreling down on Randy and his team.

Before Derrick had the chance to wrap his head around the situation, Pete took a breath and continued with serious words:  
“Your main focus is to assist in the recovery of two soldiers on the lower east section of the mountain. They are both gravely injured, and are overloaded with firefight and they are running out of ammunition. ”

Derrick was hanging off of every word. His mind was reeling. Two soldiers? There were four initially. Gravely injured? Jesus, was Randy hurt? Was he..?

Before Derrick could rip the radio from Williams’ hands, Pete’s voice continued.

“You are recovering Privates Nathan Fox and Private Randy Hill. Privates Moore and Jones are deceased.”

The reality of the circumstances came crashing down around Derrick. The situation was completely out of control. Randy and Private Fox were stranded on a mountain side injured and outnumbered. Their teammates were dead, and they were in severe trouble. 

Derrick felt a hand on his back, as his friend Sam looked into his face with sympathy. He squeezed Derrick’s shoulder as a hurried comfort.

The sound of gunfire was booming in the distance and Williams was shouting out orders, and Derrick and his fellow soldiers poured from their vehicle. Their team had pulled up to the west of the missing team’s location and was to march through a small set of trees, to open up on the side of the mountain. 

Derrick’s heart was hammering in his chest as they navigated through the tree laden terrain. Williams was in the lead, and every bullet in the distance weighed on Derrick’s heart. He tried to put his concern for his brother in the back of his mind, as he and his team entered a potentially deadly situation.

He needed to be alert.  
He needed to complete this mission.  
But, he needed to get to his brother.

Their fast pace seemed to drag on, but they came upon an opening in the tree line, and Derrick could see the rocky hillside jutting from the mountain.  
Williams slowed down the pace, and set up formation at the edge of the tree line. From their position they were slightly higher than Randy and Fox but still below the Taliban’s position at the top of the rocky hill. 

Derrick and Sam pulled up to the edge of the formation, while Private Williams quickly commanded the two other soldiers to provide coverage while they seemingly walked out into the open, free of the protection of the foliage.

Randy’s heart was bursting, he was so close to his brother and he cringed at the outline of the Taliban at the top of the hill shooting down at the outnumbered soldiers. It seemed that the other American team was distracting some of the Taliban as some were scattered in multiple locations around the top of the hill.

The team was moving forward, and was quickly spotted by the opposing forces as bullets rained down on them. Derrick’s team was prepared for the defense, and he was glad to be taking some of the fire away from his stranded, injured brother.

One of the men shouted to their attention directing them toward Private Fox’s location on the mountain. They could see from their position that he was bleeding, and not putting up much of a fight.

Williams signaled for them to advance, and Randy was desperately seeking Randy’s position as he knew from Pete’s report that Randy’s last position was several yards away from Fox.

The ground in front of them abruptly exploded and a new wave of gunfire spewed from an opening across the hill. Derrick felt Sam’s hand grab his back and pull him to the ground. The sounds were overwhelming, and despite Derrick’s need to surge forward, they were forced to retreat to the cover of the trees.

One of their team members was severely injured in the blast, but their team continued to defend their position against the new surge of Taliban forces.

Derrick, Sam, and one of the other soldiers held their position, as Williams attended to the injured soldier. The gunfire seemed to die down, as Derrick and his team were able to pick off the enemy from their advantage in the tree line.

“We are in a poor position. Davis is injured. We are pulling back.” 

Derrick’s head snapped around to see Williams reporting back to base on his radio.

“WHAT!” Derrick screamed incredulously.

“Derrick we are at a poor advantage, and we need to get him medical attention!” Williams face was red with anger as he screamed back at his insubordinate soldier.

“They are right there!” Derrick said pointing back at the rocky terrain. “They are going to die out there if we leave!”

Williams sprung furiously from the ground, “I know your brother’s out there, but I don’t give a shit right now. My job is to take care of MY men. We are in a poor position!”   
Williams was face to face with Derrick.

The tension had mounted to its peak and Derrick launched himself at Williams throwing a punch and wrestling him to the ground.

“I’M NOT FUCKING LEAVING HIM” Derrick spat as they grappled on the ground.

The two were pulled apart as their team members struggled to keep them from killing each other. Sam was holding Derrick from behind as tears of anger threatened to spill from Derrick’s eyes.

“You ARE out of line soldier!” Williams said pulling himself from the ground. “We are leaving now and that is an order!”

Derrick’s stomach was twisting at the thought of leaving his brother when they were so close to him. He was pulled up by Sam, as Williams and the other soldiers were already moving to leave.

Derrick just stood by himself watching Williams and his team walk away, the opposite direction of his brother.

“I’m not leaving.” Derrick spoke calmly.

Williams had the injured officer draped around his neck as he turned back, “HILL!”

Derrick ignored his commanding officer’s shouts, as he pushed forward. He got to the edge of the tree line once again, and paused grabbing the radio that Pete had secured him with.

“Pete, my team is pulling back. I can see Fox, and I know Randy is nearby. I’m not leaving.” He was about to state that he was going out alone, but he felt a presence behind him and tensed.

Sam placed his hand once again on Derrick’s shoulder nodding his head to confirm that he would follow Derrick’s lead.

“Derrick, no, - “

Derrick cut his brother off, “We are going now. I’m bringing Randy back. I love you Pete.”

Before Pete could respond, Derrick shut off his radio and signaled Sam forward. The boys burst forward into the open, heading downwards toward Fox. There was little notice of their position, and they made it within 10 yards of Fox before they were spotted.

They quickly dove down to get coverage from the jut in the land that had protected Fox thus far. Fox was pale and grey, and barely conscious. Sam was tending to Fox’s injuries as Derrick was about to peek over in search of Randy.

Before he could move, Fox weakly gripped his arm and pointed towards Randy’s position. Derrick quickly moved to the other side of the earth before glancing at Randy’s station behind the bolder.

Derrick got his first glimpse of his brother since early that morning, and the sight that met his eyes was stomach churning. Randy was slumped behind the rock bloody and unmoving. He rifle hang limply from his fingers.

Derrick couldn’t wait any longer, he shouted at Sam to cover him as he burst forward towards Randy. Seeing that the boulder Randy was slumped behind was barely fit to cover one person, Derrick wasted no time grabbing Randy’s limp body and throwing it over his shoulder before maneuvering back the short distance to where Fox and Sam were.  
Time seemed to be in fast forward and slow motion at the same time. Derrick was able to comprehend the gravity of the moment as he held his little brother’s blood-spattered body over his shoulders. He was able to somehow focus on every step, to be sure to navigate safely back to the previous protection gifted by mother nature.  
Derrick reached safety and quickly and carefully flipped Randy off of his shoulders and pulled his body close to his own.

Randy’s body was torn from bullet wounds, and blood soaked his once camouflage uniform. Derrick steadied him in his arms, and held his body tight.   
“Derrick..”Randy’s eyes were glassy, but he had a faint smile on his lips at the recognition of his brother.

“Yea, buddy.” Derrick half laughed, half sobbed. He was shaking as he clung to Randy’s form desperately. Derrick’s hands were urgently prodding Randy’s wounds to check the extent of his injuries.

“You’re not dead.” Fox’s weak voice croaked.

Another weak smile crossed Randy’s face as he replied, “Not yet.”

Derrick took the opportunity to radio back to base. “Pete, we’ve got Randy and Fox. We need help out here.”

“Derrick- what- are they alright? Are you alright” Pete was rattling off questions, as the bullets started flying again.

“Pete they are hurt pretty bad, we are going to have to carry them out of here, and we don’t have enough cover.”

“Derrick, another team should be there anytime. Just hold on, they are coming.”

Derrick looked into the horizon at the bottom of the hill and a dozen of their soldiers were coming towards them. Derrick was interrupted by a guttural groan beneath him.  
Randy was squirming in his arms as his eyes were clenched shut in pain. The blood loss was significant, and his muscles were shuddering with spasms.

“Randy, Randy,” Derrick panicked, shifting him closer, “Hang on buddy, they are almost here. I can see them. Hang on bud, please, please.” Derrick was begging. He glanced up at the same look of sympathy from Sam that he had seen earlier.

Derrick’s heart broke, Randy was tensing and shaking in his arms, fighting tremors that were coursing through his body. Tears were streaming down Derrick’s face, and he silently prayed that Randy could hold on just a few more minutes.

As the team of saviors surrounded the bunkered soldiers, Randy’s eyes were closing, and Derrick’s hands gripped at his face pleading with him to hang on. Derrick was only aware of the others when, hands were pulling at him and Randy pulling them towards safety.  
++++++++++++++++++

Pete paced back and forth in the medical bay, nerves completely shot. His brothers were both being looked at, and he had little to no information on either of them. His conversation with God was more of a one sided order with Pete commanding him to keep his brothers alive.

Pete’s knuckles were sore and bloody, but he welcomed the dull pain. The moment he saw Williams, he unleashed his fury on the man for abandoning both of his brothers. Maybe Williams wasn’t solely responsible for the pain he and his brothers had endured in the last 8 hours, but crushing his face with his hands sure felt satisfying.

Sam exited one of the rooms, finding Pete quickly. 

“Sam, are you ok? How’s Derrick?” Pete asked quickly.

“He’s okay. You can go in and see him.”

Pete didn’t need to be told twice. He almost ripped the door from his hinges as he entered Derrick’s room. Derrick was sitting on the edge of the bed with a bandage wrapped around his right arm.

“Derrick. Thank God. Are you ok?” Pete crossed the distance between them grabbing onto his face desperately. He was looking into Derrick’s haunted eyes with concern when Derrick spoke.

“Is he dead?” It was almost a whisper.

Pete froze. He wasn’t exactly sure how bad it had been, but when the video had left Randy hours earlier, the scene looked grim.

He dropped his hands from his face to his shoulders, “I don’t know anything. Are you sure you are ok?” Pete pressed on, drawing his focus away from the unfathomable scenario.  
Derrick’s lip quivered, and Pete pulled him into his chest as he rubbed his back. Pete closed his eyes, and continued the one sided conversation with God.  
+++++++++++  
Hours passed while Derrick and Pete sat grimly and quietly awaiting news on their youngest brother. Silence had been their welcomed friend. Neither wanted to speak or make small talk while they waited.

“Corporal Hill.”

Both brothers’ eyes met the elder medic as they waited on baited breath for words on Randy’s health.

“Private Hill survived surgery. He lost a lot of blood, but he’s done a really good job of fighting through. It’s going to be awhile for recovery, but he should be fine.”  
The words couldn’t have been any sweeter. The brothers felt as if the world had been lifted from their shoulders. Pete thanked the medic and proceeded to enter Randy’s room with Derrick tentatively in tow.

Randy was bandaged from head to toe, and his once tan skin mimicked the white of the bedding and bandages. Pete slipped in on one side of Randy’s bed, and Derrick slipped into the other. Randy was asleep, but to watch the steady rise and fall of his chest brought stinging tears to Derrick’s eyes.

Pete slid his hand into Randy’s short hair, “Randy, its Pete and Derrick. We right here, bud. We aren’t going anywhere ok? You are safe.”

“You scared the shit out of me.” Derrick smiled as his lip quivered once again.

Pete wanted to offer some sort of words of encouragement or some sappy phrase about love and brothers, but he feared that at the moment words just couldn’t do the moment justice. So with one hand on Randy’s head, he reached over with his other to cusp the back Derrick’s head and rubbed his fingers fondly against it. He smiled, and thanked God that he was able to have his brothers alive and near him once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end. I had to hammer this out. I'm sorry for any errors. I may go back and revise at another time.


End file.
